Moving Over to Move Up

The traditional corporate career ladder model is (almost) passé. Fortunately! Nowadays, more and more people experience forward progression besides and beyond the classic "up“ career path. 

Sometimes you even need to be willing to take a (perceived) step back or sideways to move forward: For example, Sheryl Sandberg′s job at Google was a step back from her job as chief of staff (at least some might think so). She went from a job with a team of tens of thousands in the US Treasury to her job at Google with a team of four.

In reality though, it was not! Therefore, don′t worry about what others think and try making you believe. You know better. That′s what counts. Read on to find out more!

A Lateral Move

When it comes to your career progression, "up" isn't the only direction for which to go. For example, a step back or also a lateral move (aka side step) — if done well — no longer put you at risk of hitting the end of your career. The contrary is quite true. During times with highly complex challenges in a global world, career flexibility and creativity have become as crucial as trajectory.

In this article we′ll focus on the concept of a Lateral Move by defining it as a move either within your current company (e.g. into a different department) or to a new organization with similar job title, responsibilities, pay, etc. Especially, if you love the organization you work for but not so much the job you do, a lateral move within the organization can represent an excellent career option for you. It′s like in chess, sometimes sideways is the best move. 

Why?

“Thinking and Moving Sideways“ enriches significantly your perspectives and experiences. It gives you the opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills. It also helps to build your network in new departments and areas of the organization. Often it′s also a chance to work with someone you can learn from and who might even be willing acting as your mentor. Such relationships can have a very profound and positive effect on your future career path. Moving laterally shows that you′re open-minded, willing to pull yourself out of your comfort zone, and eager to learn and to take risks. It′s a beautiful opportunity to mature and to get ready for more senior roles with broader responsibilities.

How?

Don′t discount the required thinking and prep work needed for a successful side step. And don′t underestimate the cultural challenges besides having to acquire new skills. Some thoughts and recommendations for a successful lateral move:

• Stay open-minded and think in alternatives about your work, job, and career. Think colors. Think zigzag and non-linear. Think laterally. Think outside–of-the-box, upside down, and don′t allow others telling you what they think your career should look like.
• Explore and assess all options. Once you mentally settled on a side step, do some research and/or internal networking to learn more about other areas of the company. Maybe you take on a project for another department or you shadow someone? 
• Develop a plan with a long-term focus. Make lateral rotations part of it. Look for those roles where you can acquire skills you might miss to further grow and progress. This might be leadership experience, negotiations skills, technical expertise, etc. For example, if your background were in marketing and sales, ever tried managing a tech team?
• Leverage horizontal structures. Look across versus down and up. Build and develop new networks and connections. Focus more on giving and sharing. Be willing to learn, unlearn, and re-learn. Embrace to fail and trust in the support you will receive.
• Follow your passion. Ensure you′re doing what you′re passionate about and that you learn and enjoy your experience during a lateral move. Be courageous and be willing taking risks. Time is precious, also and especially when you′re willing choosing a career detour. Do what′s right for you based on your vision and goals and which adds value. To the company and yourself. 

Final Thoughts

When looking for your next career challenge, climbing the corporate ladder might not be the only way. It might even be a boring and less stimulating way. Instead a lateral move might lead to your career destiny. And in the mid-term even faster and more successfully. It all depends on how you plan and perceive a side step and how best to execute it and when. If done well, almost in all cases it will pay off in the future. 

What do you think? Have you observed and/or experienced career side moves? Or are there any other options you like? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Best,

Andreas von der Heydt

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Andreas von der Heydt is Director of Talent Acquisition & Recruiting at Amazon. Before he held various senior management positions at Amazon and L'Oréal. He's a leadership expert and management coach. He also founded Consumer Goods Club. Andreas worked and lived in Europe, Australia, the U.S. and Asia. Currently he lives with his wife and daughters in Seattle, USA. Andreas enjoys blogging as a private person here on LinkedIn about various exciting topics. His latest book is about what makes a future leader. All statements made, opinions expressed, etc. in his articles only reflect his personal opinion.

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Other recent and popular posts by Andreas von der Heydt:

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Photo: Robert Maxwell/Cpi